Nursery rhymes perfect for April: A collection of classic spring songs that capture the season

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Spring nursery rhyme [Hibari Hibari] Parent-child play [Childcare]

In the pleasantly breezy month of May, here’s a nursery rhyme game with a springtime bird theme that we hope parents and children will enjoy at a relaxed pace.

It’s characterized by short, repeated phrases that call to the birds and depict traveling over mountains and through valleys.

You can rock your child on your lap, use your fingertips to represent hills and valleys—there’s no single right way to play! Though it’s a traditional song passed down in local communities since long ago, new audio recordings with fresh ways of singing were released as recently as March 2021, and it continues to be loved today in various forms, especially in early childhood settings.

Precisely because there’s no fixed answer, you can tailor it to your child’s age and the atmosphere of the moment—that’s the charm of this piece.

On a warm, sunny day, why not find your own original way to play together with your child?

Little Horsetail

Tsukushi Boy | Spring Song | A hand-play song/fun for preschool | With lyrics | Ichigo Club

This is an irresistibly cute song themed around horsetails that peek out from the spring fields.

Its humorous world—like telling the little horsetails sleeping underground that it’s time to wake up—speaks to children eagerly awaiting the arrival of warmer days.

The piece has long been loved; records show it was featured on the television program “Mama to Asobō! Pin Pon Pan,” which aired around the 1960s.

It’s perfect for humming on a warm April stroll with friends or family, or for lively group hand-play time at preschool!

aiueo good morningSakushi: Hayama Mari / Sakkyoku: Kuwahara Kenrō

Aiue Ohayo by Himawari 🌻/With Lyrics | Children's Song Okaasan to Issho | Aiue Ohayo |

This song is a lot of fun with its playful word rhythms.

In time with the 50 sounds of hiragana, cheerful greetings, tasty-looking foods, and cute animals pop up one after another.

Created by Mari Hayama and Kenro Kuwabara, the piece was also sung on the NHK program “Okaasan to Issho.” It was included on albums such as “NHK Okaasan to Issho: Issho ni Utaou Daizenshu 40 + Karaoke 10,” released in March 1999, and has been beloved by many children.

It’s perfect for little ones encountering written characters for the first time and learning them, too! How about humming along with friends on the way to preschool or at home?

Waltz of the MountainsSakushi: Kayama Yoshiko / Sakkyoku: Yuyama Akira

Waltz of the Mountains [Children’s Song]

This is a charming waltz that depicts animals cheerfully arriving at a lovely mountain kindergarten hour by hour.

With each tick of the clock, the excitement of new friends joining is expressed through a light, buoyant rhythm.

Created by the renowned duo Miyoko Kayama and Akira Yuyama, this work is perfect for singing together with children who are starting kindergarten or moving up a grade.

Hum along to the mysteriously resonant lyrics and enjoy the bubbly feeling of spring with friends and family!

Close It, Open Itsakushisha fushou

♪Musunde Hiraite – Musunde Hiraite | ♪Clasp Your Hands, Open Them, Clap Your Hands, Clasp Them [Japanese Song / Children's Song]

In dazzlingly fresh May greenery, don’t you feel like getting active and playing with the kids? That’s when the perfect choice is that familiar hand-play song with the motions of opening and closing your hands.

Simple yet irresistibly engaging for children, its melody is actually said to have its roots in an opera by the French thinker Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

In Japan, it became widely loved in its current form as a play song after being included in the May 1947 elementary school textbook First-Grade Music.

Its easy-to-remember rhythm and movements are also great for interacting with very young children who can’t speak yet.

How about trying it outdoors on a picnic, sitting face-to-face and playing together as parent and child?

My shoes are squeaking.Sakushi: Shimizu Katsura / Sakkyoku: Hirota Ryūtarō

Kutsu ga Naru (♪ Holding Hands) by Himawari 🌻 With Lyrics | Children's Song [Japan’s 100 Best Songs] Kutsu ga naru |

Spring is the season when the warm weather makes you want to go out for a walk in new shoes.

This song, perfect for April, features lyrics by Katsura Shimizu and music by Ryutaro Hirota.

You can almost picture people holding hands and walking together, and hear the light footsteps echoing under the clear sky.

In 2007, it was selected for the “100 Best Songs of Japan,” and there’s even a version sung in Japanese by the American actor Shirley Temple.

How about humming it with your child on a spring picnic in the fields, feeling as if you’ve become little birds or rabbits?

a small gardenSakushi / Sakkyoku: Fushou

[Hand Play Video] Small Garden

It’s a song about tending a garden, sowing seeds, and flowers blooming in spring.

The choreography is intuitive and easy to remember, so I think children will enjoy it.

What’s more, the lyrics change from “a small garden” in the first verse to “a medium garden” and “a big garden” in the second and third verses.

Varying the tempo and vocal style would likely make it even more fun for the children.

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Hane Keisuke

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